Skip to main content

Medical areas of focus

Using our platform, we are developing mRNA medicines for diverse uses and delivering them to patients across the globe. We are currently focusing on 4 medical areas – infectious diseases, immuno-oncology, rare diseases and autoimmune disease.

Woman smiling at camera
Microscopic view of cells
Close up of scientific equipment

What is a modality?

When we identify technologies that we believe could enable a new group of potential mRNA medicines with shared features, we call that group a modality. While the programs within a modality may target diverse diseases, they share similar mRNA characteristics, delivery technologies and manufacturing processes.  

Moderna's modalities

  • Prophylactic vaccines 

  • Systemic secreted & cell surface therapeutics 

  • Cancer vaccines 

  • Intratumoral immuno-oncology  

  • Localized regenerative therapeutics 

  • Systemic intracellular therapeutics 

  • Inhaled pulmonary therapeutics 


We have created seven modalities to date, but we are relentlessly working to grow this number as we discover mRNA medicines. 

Medical Areas of Focus

Infectious diseases

Infectious diseases

The world needs novel, innovative approaches to address both known and future infectious disease threats.  

Immuno-oncology

Immuno-oncology

We are harnessing the body’s immune system to identify and kill cancer cells in the same way the immune system identifies and targets infections.

Personalized cancer vaccines

Personalised cancer vaccines

We are creating individualised, mRNA-based personalised cancer vaccines to deliver one custom-tailored medicine to one patient at a time.  

Rare diseases

Rare diseases

Moderna recognises the impact of rare diseases on patients and their families, particularly when the disease lacks any effective treatment options. 

Cardiovascular disease

Cardiovascular diseases

We continue to explore the application of mRNA in the potential treatment of cardiovascular and other ischemic vascular diseases with the goal of addressing serious unmet needs to improve patients’ lives.

Autoimmune diseases

Autoimmune diseases

We are developing several potential mRNA therapeutics that we believe have the potential to help the millions of patients battling autoimmune diseases. 

¹Englands Rare Disease Action Plan. Available at 
Millions of people with rare diseases to benefit from faster diagnosis and better access to treatment Last Accessed August 2022.

²British Heart Foundation Statistics. Available at
Heart Statistics- Accessed August 2022

UK-MRNA-2200021 July 2022 | © 2023 Moderna, Inc.